House & Garden

Looking After Your Pool the Right Way

inground pool

Pools are great fun, but they also take a lot of looking after. Here’s how to do it the right way.

 

Remove Debris

Leaves and twigs will get blown into the pool, there’s no way of completely avoiding this. So, that means you have to make an effort to remove the debris from the pool regularly. It’s pretty simple; you just need to skin the surface of the pool with a net and scoop up anything that shouldn’t be in there. Once you’ve filled the net with debris, make sure you empty it away from the pool, so it doesn’t blow back in. If your pool is near trees or bushes that blow leaves into the pool a lot, trim them back to reduce the work.

 

Get a Cover

Another way to make sure that less debris makes its way into the pool is to buy a pool blanket. They cover the surface of the pool when it’s not in use, keeping the water as clean as possible. They’re especially useful for the times of the year when the pool isn’t in use much. The cover is easy to pull back and remove when the times comes to get in, so it makes sense to invest in one. They’ll also keep away any animals that might come sniffing around the pool. They can also be bought for safety reasons if you have young children.

 

Vacuum the Pool

You can get vacuum cleaners that are made specifically for swimming pools. You just have to fix the hose to the head of the vacuum cleaner and switch it on. Then you push it down to the floor of the pool (with the water still in the pool) and move the vacuum cleaner around the pool. Make sure you cover the whole floor of the pool. To do this, it’s best to go up and down in lines to make sure that all the floor and slopes are cleaned as well as they should be.

Backyard-poolImage Source

 

Get the Chemicals Right

All pools have to have the right balance of chemicals in them to make sure that it remains clean and safe. The first thing to think about is the pH level of the pool. This is not always easy to get right, but you can change the balance of chemicals regularly to achieve the right pH level. The optimum pH level is 7.5. If it’s above that level, you can reduce it by adding muriatic acid. And if it’s less than that, you can increase it by adding soda ash. You should also add chlorine to the pool.

 

Clean the Filter

The filter is an essential part of the pool system, and it needs to be regularly cleaned if you want to keep the pool as a whole clean and maintained. The first step in cleaning the filter is turning the switch to backwash. When you set the filter to backwash, all the grime and dirt that has been caught in the filter will be reversed and washed down the waste line away from the pool. You will also need to empty the basket in the filter that catches debris. You just shut off the system, unscrew the cover and clean out the basket.

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